Notes on a Scorecard - July 5, 1993

Among those who will miss Don Drysdale the most are those who make the Dodger Stadium press box their second home every summer. . . .

Drysdale broadcast three innings of Dodger games on KABC radio, but spent far more time than that talking baseball. . . .

When he wasn’t in the booth, he would stand behind the last-row seat occupied by KMPC’s Joe McDonnell in the main press box, watch the game, tell stories and provide insights to the writers and broadcasters who gathered next to him. . . .

Big D was great company. . . .

The ultimate competitor, he often expressed the opinion that current-day ballplayers lacked fire. The pitchers didn’t throw inside enough. He didn’t recommend beanballs, but certainly there was nothing wrong with the occasional brushback. They tried to be too cute, said the old flame thrower. . . .

But he wasn’t jaded. Great performances and young talent excited him. He was genuinely delighted when Orel Hershiser broke his consecutive scoreless innings streak in 1988. He loved the way rookie Mike Piazza jumped on pitchers’ mistakes in the style of Drysdale’s old teammates, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges. . . .

Drysdale was in his fourth major league season, but, at 23, younger than Piazza when he won 17 games for the Dodgers during their World Series championship season of 1959. . . .

Kids all over Los Angeles copied his rocking motion and sidearm delivery as they threw baseballs against garage walls. He was their role model. He seemed larger than life, even to those of us who watched him from the 70th row behind the plate at the Coliseum. . . .

He never heard of the disabled list. He worked every fourth day. The fewest number of innings he pitched during any season from 1957 through 1968 was 211 2/3. The fewest number of starts was 29, the fewest number of decisions 23, and the fewest number of victories 12. . . .

He often wore a scowl on the mound, but I will remember him more for the smile that lit up the Dodger Stadium press box.

*

There have been few more difficult broadcasting assignments than those given Vin Scully and Ross Porter Saturday night at Montreal. Because the immediate family had not yet been notified, Scully, on television, and Porter, on radio, had to call the Dodger-Expo game for seven innings without notifying their audiences that Drysdale had died. . . .

I had never seen Drysdale happier than when he returned from Springfield, Mass., where his wife, Ann Meyers, had been inducted into basketball’s Hall of Fame. . . .

On Friday night, Prime Ticket showed the seventh game of the 1965 World Series between the Dodgers and Minnesota Twins. Sandy Koufax shut out the Twins, 2-0, but Drysdale spent much of the game warming up in the bullpen. . . .

Asked about his former Van Nuys High teammate Robert Redford, Drysdale said: “Oh, you mean Bobby. He was a pretty good first baseman. Good guy, too.” . . .

*

Regarding that American League West turtle race, the New York Mets won the 1973 NL East title with an 82-79 record. They were followed by St. Louis, 81-81; Pittsburgh, 80-82; Montreal, 79-83; the Chicago Cubs, 77-84, and Philadelphia, 71-91. . . .

This probably was just the first of several Wimbledon titles for Pete Sampras, 21, who has the style to be a dominating grass player. . . .

Not to diminish Steffi Graf’s third consecutive championship, but the women’s competition wasn’t quite the same without Monica Seles. . . .

Don’t expect either middle-of-the-first-round choice to become an impact player, but the Lakers, who took hard-working George Lynch, and the Clippers, who got prolific scorer Terry Dehere, seem to have done reasonably well in the NBA draft. . . .

The Orlando Magic needed point guard Anfernee Hardaway more than they did power forward Chris Webber. . . .

However, with Webber and good health, the Golden State Warriors could unseat the Phoenix Suns as division champions. . . .

Look-alikes: Actor Ed O’Neill and Ray Perkins. . . .

Best Pal might not be the same performer he was early last year, but his convincing victory in the $750,000 Gold Cup Saturday showed that he might be the best older horse in America. . . .

Former USC athletic director and football coach Jess Hill, 86, is in a Pasadena convalescent hospital. . . .

I guess only the fans want an NCAA football tournament. . . .

Belated congratulations to UCLA Athletic Director Pete Dalis and Margaret Wigmore, who were married last week in Santa Monica.